Divergent li’l IPA refrains from typical fruited pine styling for milder sourdough-like Challah breading. Subdued floral-spiced fruitiness lingers with lemony orange-candied pineapple and peach wisps. Thin and pallid up-front, retaining pleasingly sweet baguette resonance and musty grain seepage.
On tap at Plank Pizza, botanical amber-coppered ‘gin-like elixir’ brings fragrant cologne-perfumed sweetness to ginger-rooted juniper berry freshness above honeyed pale malting. Continual mild juniper bittering contrasts delicate peach, pineapple, grapefruit and red apple illusions. In the bottle, singular stylish blend gains piney spruce aspect for ginger-dried juniper bittering, gaining brisk lemon-peeled grapefruit, pineapple and orange tang.
“Massively dry-hopped Crimson IPA” celebrates music and arts education program in brewer Greg Koch’s hometown with great results. Juicy grapefruit, orange and pineapple tang gains lightly spiced caramel toasting to contrast lingering Mosaic-Cascade-Amarillo hop bittering (and vodka-like whim). Beneath, crisply clean spruce and pine tones provide evergreen freshness for up-front tropical fruiting as well as apple, cherry and pear subsidies.
On tap at Growler & Gill, “decadent” mocha-affected India Pale Ale overloads the sharply perfume-hopped yellow grapefruit spicing and lemony orange respite, allowing the creamy black coffee and dark chocolate blend to diminish more than expected.
On tap at Growler & Gill, well-designed dark ale collaboration between three respected Virginia breweries brings black-malted dark chocolate richness, walnut-smoked cocoa powdering and vanilla bean creaming to recessive raspberry-blackberry adjuncts. But its mighty mocha magnitude and dry hop-charred hop bittering almost completely hide the dark-fruited nature.
Epic winter-spiced 2016 stout loads heavenly Atomic coffee roast atop pasilla black peppering as well as fudgy cocoa, sweet vanilla, pasilla black peppering, cinnamon and nutmeg adjuncts. Cedar-smoked mocha resonance allows subsidiary black chocolate syrup, chocolate cake, bruised black cherry and chewy anise illusions to envelop rich coffee overtones. A creamily decadent dessert treat.
On tap at Growler & Gill, streamlined medium roast coffee bean setting picks up mild milk-sugared sweetness and lightly embittered hop char for off-dry English-styled stout. Moderate dark chocolate creaminess and barren nuttiness waver beneath.
On tap at The Oath, lovely citric-laden medium body tenders syrupy pureed tangerine glaze to tangy orange-peeled grapefruit juicing and light sugar spicing for stylishly rich IPA.
On tap at Poor Henry’s, aggressive 2016 limited edition Imperial IPA proves original as brisk citra-hopped avocado flower honey heightens floral-sweetened fruit juicing over chewy whiskey-daubed caramel malting. Capacious pink grapefruit, Valencia orange, red cherry, mango, pineapple, papaya, guava and apple bouquet really sings out! Minor earthen pine resin adds light astringency to the underside of ambitious avocado-honeyed 20th anniversary hybrid.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, bold espresso-roasted Imperial Stout retains creamy brown chocolate sweetness to contrast resinous hop pining and mild chili burn. Rich mocha malting picks up smoky nuance by the vanilla-daubed chocolate espresso finish.
Staggeringly successful Stone series of hop-derived India Pale Ales culminates in full-bodied Christmas ’15 model (utilizing twelve lupulin varieties just for fun). Juicy ruby red grapefruit tang and bright navel orange briskness navigate thru light resinous pine bittering. Zesty citrus appeal picks up whiskey tinge as sparkly mango, peach, cantaloupe, nectar and apple subsidy further enlivens well-designed thirst quencher.
